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Winter storm promising to stall Christmas travel

Travellers can expect delays and cancellations at airports across the country this holiday season.

A winter storm is expected to roll over Ontario and Quebec ahead of the busiest travel weekend before Christmas.

“The reason this is a concern is because a lot of folks like to travel at Christmastime,” said News 95.7 meteorologist Richard Zurawski Thursday. “Things are really going to slow down over the next 24 to 48 hours. So, you want to check with the airlines.”

Starting Thursday night, southern Ontario and southern Quebec are expecting between 15 and 25 centimetres of snow with a risk of freezing rain and strong winds.

“So if your travel plans are tonight and into tomorrow, it’s not going to look good at all,” said Zurawski.

Poor weather in Ontario and Quebec could cause delays at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, Ottawa’s airport, Montréal-Trudeau Airport or Jean Lesage International Airport in Quebec City.

Anyone on a connecting flight through one of these cities may experience delays, which could create a log-jam effect.

“The whole thing around the run-up to Christmas is the weather, both here and in destinations,” said Halifax Stanfield International Airport spokesperson Peter Spurway.

Spurway said Halifax is prepared.

“It does get tricky at this time of year where airlines have added extra flights and added larger aircraft to some of the routes in order to move people who have been held up by poor weather, either here or elsewhere, in the run-up to Christmas,” he said.

Spurway recommends calling ahead to check on flights and giving yourself extra time, both on the road getting to the airport, and getting through airport security.

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